TisBest Philanthropy. Converting a gift-of-stuff to a gift-of-good every 43 seconds!

A message from our

Executive Director, Jon Siegel

Thank you for visiting the TisBest website, the leading site dedicated exclusively to charity gift cards. At TisBest, we're committed to fostering the growth of non-material gift giving. The TisBest Charity Gift Card has become (in less than 3 years!) one of the best non-material options available in a world of many, many material choices. In addition, it's exciting to know that TisBest has raised literally hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity in that short time. Why is this charity gift card becoming so popular? I think it's really pretty simple: The giver (that's you) knows that a charitable donation can make the world just a little bit better. And the recipient gets to decide which charity gets the money. So I appreciate the fact that you're browsing this site and considering a TisBest Charity Gift Card as a gift for someone you care about. We've worked hard to make this a fun experience for you and a delightful experience for the recipient of your gift. So give! Enjoy! And thank you for helping make the world a better place.

A message from our

Founder, Erik Marks:

I started TisBest Philanthropy with the goal of creating a donation gift that would be widely recognized and appreciated. Gifts create and build relationships. Gifts say "I care about you". The youngest children offer us gifts of a bug, a pine cone or maybe a finger painting from school; and I recall my grandma in her 90's making gifts to us of the quarters she won playing bingo with her friends. The media tries to tell us that you can say "I care more" by buying a more elaborate or more expensive gift. Although an expensive item purchased from a fancy store might make a great gift for some people, I have a different idea about what makes a wonderful gift. I believe there is too much focus on gifts of "stuff" and that a donation gift is often the most appreciated and satisfying gift of all. TisBest now has 50,000 satisfied Charity Gift Card donors and recipients and that group is growing every day! Recently, "Charitable Gift Card" was identified as a "buzzword of the year"....who would have thought? We have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. I love to hear how businesses are giving TisBest charity gift cards instead of gift baskets and parents are tucking TisBest charity gift cards into children's stockings, along with toys, to introduce the kids to the joy of sharing with others. Please click on "Endorsements" above to see some of the emails we have received from people thrilled about our charity gift cards. I would love to hear from you too! Please email info@tisbest.org and share your comments, concerns and questions.

Here is a video on YouTube in which I talk about gift giving and why I believe in what TisBest offers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFMOH2GnV8U. Thank you for having a look at the TisBest website and considering Charity Gift Cards for your gift giving this year.

The TisBest 250 Badge

An organization displaying the TisBest 250 Badge has been reviewed by TisBest Philanthropy and determined to have national or international impact, exercise fiscal and social responsibility, receive widespread endorsement, and demonstrate ingenuity and success within its area of focus. For those reasons it is among the 250 outstanding organizations to which funds from a TisBest Charity Gift Card may be donated. We at TisBest Philanthropy extend a heartfelt "thank you" to all of the staff and Board Members of the TisBest 250 for your great work!

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DiscoverGiving’s research-based curriculum provides students with a powerful opportunity
to practice and model altruism using activities and discussion topics that reinforce
the intrinsic motivations behind giving. Engaging in these prosocial behaviors in
the classroom helps students cultivate compassion and generosity on both a group
and individual level.

At the start of the lesson, students are introduced to philanthropy by reflecting
on ways they or someone they know has shared their time, talent or treasure to create
positive change. Students are amazed to discover many ways they already participate
in philanthropy, such as donating canned food or giving spare change to a person
in need.

The teacher then guides students through making a charitable donation with a TisBest
Charity Gift Card. Students each “spend” a $1.00 charity gift card by choosing a
charity to support in an area of interest to them, such as protecting the rain forest
or endangered species, caring for sick kids, or feeding a hungry family. Through
this hands-on giving experience, students learn that they can make a positive difference
in the world! Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds
from each TisBest Charity Gift Card.

Following the charity gift card activity, students participate in literacy-focused
enrichment activities, each adhering to a Common Core standard. The activities encourage
students to think beyond their $1.00 charity gift card and identify concrete ways
they can continue to make a positive difference in the word around them.

What is DiscoverGiving?

DiscoverGiving is a classroom philanthropy project from TisBest. DiscoverGiving
guides students through a hands-on giving experience using fun, engaging activities
designed to foster altruism and spark a lifelong appreciation for the power of generosity.

Who teaches the DiscoverGiving lesson?

DiscoverGiving lessons are taught by 3rd-6th grade elementary school teachers. Anyone
can purchase a kit and give it to a teacher. The teacher then determines when and
how to integrate the lesson into his or her regular curriculum.

Do I have to be a teacher to order a Classroom Giving Kit?

No. Anyone can purchase a kit and give it to a 3rd-6th grade teacher. To learn more
about sponsoring a classroom, see our Parents or Sponsors section below.

Enrichment Activity #2: Reading
Reading informational text (15 minutes)
Pass out copies of the April 2013 article from the Huffington Post: “Olivia Peters’
Letter Saves Surrey Forest.” Introduce the article by telling the class that this
is a new story about a 12-year-old girl from Canada who was upset that her city
planned to cut down trees near her home, so she decided to do something about it.
Give the students time to read the article, and then ask the following questions
to deepen comprehension and encourage valuable discussion:

“Why did Olivia feel like her voice needed to be heard?”
“Why do you think Olivia’s letter helped change the housing development plans?”
“What inspires you the most about Olivia’s story?”

Does the DiscoverGivng curriculum meet Common Core State Standards?

Yes, participation in the DiscoverGiving lesson and enrichment activities meet the
following Common Core standards:

The following Common Core standards are met by participating in the DiscoverGiving
lesson and enrichment activities:

I’m teaching a DiscoverGiving lesson; will I know which charities my students choose
to support?

Yes. During the redemption process your student is asked to send a note to you explaining
why they chose to support that charity. These notes are automatically emailed to
you the moment your students completes the redemption process.

Do students really get to donate $1 to the charity of their choice?

Yes. Each $1.00 TisBest Charity Gift Card represents one real dollar held by TisBest
Philanthropy. TisBest sends 100% of each student donation to the charity they chose
to support.

What is a TisBest Charity Gift Card?

A TisBest Charity Gift works like any other gift card, except that instead of buying
stuff, the recipient of a charity gift card spends it to support a charity of their
choice. Visit the TisBest homepage to learn more about how you can use a TisBest
Charity Gift Card.

How do the students make their donation?

Students use their TisBest Charity Gift Card through the TisBest website at www.TisBest.org/Kids.
The donation process is secure, and TisBest does not collect personal information
about students during the redemption process. Once TisBest is notified of the student’s
donation, a check or ACH deposit is sent to the charity the student chose to support
during our regular distribution times.

To preview the redemption process, go to www.TisBest.org/Kids and use this demo
code: DE9-AWF

How much of the students’ donations actually go to charity?

Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds from each TisBest
Charity Gift Card.

How do you select the charities you feature on the TisBest website?

TisBest National Chairities
We choose charities with national or international impact that represent a broad
array of interests so that nearly everyone will be able to find an organization
they believe in for their donation. All of our charities receive significant public
support, have demonstrated fiscal and social responsibility and have their official
financial and regulatory data subject to third-party review on guidestar.org or
charitynavigator.org. We generally feature charities with annual revenues or assets
of at least $3 million, and our team reviews the 990 Tax Forms filed by our charities
to ensure fiscal accountability.

TisBest Local Charities

We introduced our Local Charities in 2009. To select Local Charities, we asked Social
Venture Partner chapters and other similar groups to nominate charities from their
region for the Local Charities List. We sought charities that were locally operated,
focused on the local community, were admired by their peers for effectiveness and
fiscal responsibility and operated with a sustainable model.

DiscoverGiving is an awesome program, how can I help spread the word?

The best thing you can do is let your friends and the teachers in your life know
about the DiscoverGiving program. The more people that know about us, the more students
will discover ways they can have a positive impact on the world around them. Please
share your thoughts and encouragement by sending email to
DiscoverGiving@TisBest.org and tell us why you love the program and what
else you would like to see us do. And connect with us and/or share about the program
on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Thank you!

Who is TisBest Philanthropy?

TisBest Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering
the growth of non-material gift-giving. TisBest created charity gift cards in 2007.
Charity gift cards work like conventional gift cards, but with one important exception:
the recipient of a charity gift card "spends" it by choosing a charity to receive
the funds.

With a TisBest Charity Gift Card, you make the donation and your recipient decides
how to spend the donation, choosing from TisBest's 300+ charity partners. Learn
more at www.tisbest.org.

The DiscoverGiving Classroom Giving Kit has everything needed to quickly and easily
spark conversation and curiosity in students about philanthropy including:

The cost of a Classroom Giving Kit is $62.00 + $1.00 per student. For example, the
total Kit cost for a classroom of 30 students would be $92.00. Shipping is free,
and your entire DiscoverGiving purchase is tax deductible.

*Classroom Giving Kits are currently available for grades 3-6.

The following Common Core standards are met by participating in the DiscoverGiving
lesson and enrichment activities:

By participating in the DiscoverGiving program, students engage in activities designed
to boost their
levels of happiness and satisfaction and enhance the prosocial behaviors of generosity and compassionate
action.

When K-12 students engage in service learning activities in the classroom, they demonstrate
an increased capacity for learning, a decline in absenteeism, and a stronger connection to their school. Significant health
benefits have been recorded in children who participate in generous behavior including a reduced risk of substance
abuse, depression and suicide in adolescents. Studies of fMRI scans show that giving
to charity relates to increased activity in areas of the brain associated with pleasure,
social connection and trust. Altruism has also been shown to be contagious.
When students give they create a ripple effect of generosity in their school community!

It may not seem like much, a single dollar can accomplish quite a lot. During the
lesson, students are given examples of how far a dollar can go to support a charity’s
mission, helping them to understand the true value of their donation. Plus, the
enrichment activities included in the DiscoverGiving Kit encourage students to reflect
on how it felt to make a difference and helps them identify new ways to impact the
world, empowering each child to become a lifelong world-changer!

Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds from each $1.00
TisBest Charity Gift Card. Together the dollars in a classroom can have an even
bigger impact. A classroom with 25 students will spend $25 benefitting a wide range
of charitable organizations. Multiplying that times 1,000 DiscoverGiving classrooms
means $25,000 in charitable donations to important causes. Together, DiscoverGiving
students can make a significant financial impact within the nonprofit community
and make the world a better place.

Reading informational text (20 minutes)
Pass out copies of the April 2013 article from the Huffington Post: “Olivia Peters’
Letter Saves Surrey Forest.” Introduce the article by telling the class that this
is a new story about a 12-year-old girl from Canada who was upset that her city
planned to cut down trees near her home, so she decided to do something about it.
Give the students time to read the article, and then ask the following questions
to deepen comprehension and encourage valuable discussion:

“Why did Olivia feel like her voice needed to be heard?” “Why do you think Olivia’s
letter helped change the housing development plans?” “What inspires you the most
about Olivia’s story?”

TisBest Philanthropy WebsiteVersion: 2014.20

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